


Harsh

by ToxicPineapple



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Advice, Apologies, Arguments, Awkward Conversations, Bad Communication, Communication, Conversations, Developing Friendships, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Kokichi has a Rantaro body pillow, LMAO, Mistakes, Non-Despair AU, Oumasai is platonic but can be construed as romantic in the future I guess, Platonic Relationships, friendships, good friendships, people are complicated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 17:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19445992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicPineapple/pseuds/ToxicPineapple
Summary: “You know,” Kokichi’s voice is faint. “Sometimes, I think maybe I could- maybe I could reach out to someone at this school.” Shuichi feels his breath hitch, but holds it, feeling like he’s going to pass out. “But then you-” he breaks off, then flips around suddenly, and all traces of the previous emotion are gone from his face, save for a wide grin. His eyes are swimming with mirth. It’s a masterful deception, one that must have taken years to pull off, one that Shuichi wouldn’t be able to see through in a heartbeat.But he does, anyway.---Shuichi says something mean, and has to deal with the consequences.





	Harsh

Arguments between Kokichi and Kaito aren’t uncommon- in fact, a strange day has gone by if one doesn’t bubble up. Generally those days pass by with a strange tenseness to them, leaving Shuichi nervous and fidgety by the end of them.

Thus it’s not really much of a surprise when the argument breaks out. In retrospect Shuichi doesn’t remember how the argument even started. There are a number of things that could’ve caused it; Kokichi’s behaviour, Kaito’s, or anything else in between. There’s a large grey area for things that make Kaito start yelling, and Kokichi start teasing, and violence is as easily insighted as a gas fire. It barely causes a reaction, at first, when Kaito and Kokichi start snapping at each other over breakfast.

But things go south, as they inevitably do, and all of a sudden they’re both on their feet. This shouldn’t be much of a big deal to Shuichi, as Kaito’s friend, because Kaito is almost a foot taller than Kokichi, and thus typically looks far more intimidating towering over him like that, but he’s just recovering from a particularly bad case of the flu, and Kokichi has that devious smile that he always wears. Suffice to say that Kaito looks smaller than usual, and Shuichi is already on edge because of it. That’s not really an excuse, but it makes sense in his head, and maybe that’s why he’s on his feet too a moment later, touching Kaito’s shoulder almost as though he’s afraid to.

Whatever the reason, it doesn’t stop him from opening his mouth and saying, “Ouma, can you knock it off? It’s early, and you’re disturbing the peace.”

“Huh? Got a problem, Saihara?” Kokichi’s grin is unhinged, or maybe that’s just Shuichi’s tilted perception of it. “Why aren’t you yelling at Momota? He’s the one who started arguing with me?” Well, that might as well be the truth, for all Shuichi’s been paying attention to it. He doesn’t particularly care about blame, at the moment, though. Feels like there’s broken glass inside of him, and it’s sharp enough to make him snap.

“With the way that you’re always acting, it’s no wonder. It might’ve been him this time, but it’s been you so many times, it’s hard for me to buy that this was unprovoked. Have you ever considered that this kind of behaviour is why nobody likes you?”

It certainly sounded less venomous in his head.

Shuichi pauses after saying it, feels regret swell in the form of a large lump in his throat, but he doesn’t rescind the words, nor does he allow the desire to show on his face. As mean as those words were, he doesn’t disagree with them. Kaito’s expression, which is angry, changes slightly, but not enough for Shuichi to be entirely aware of it, because he’s looking at Kokichi.

Startlingly, the leader’s expression is blank- that cheshire cat grin nowhere to be seen. It’s impossible for even the most observant of their classmates to be able to pick it apart. Perhaps Kyoko, an upperclassman, might be capable of such, but Shuichi is nowhere near experienced enough to perform such a feat. Besides, that odd blankness only remains for a moment before he smiles again, resting his hands on the back of his neck.

“If you felt that way, why didn’t you say so, hm?” He dances out from his seat, snatches an apple from the basket Kirumi so delicately placed in the center of the table. Kokichi’s touch is light, and barely disturbs the other fruits resting inside. “I’ll be out of your hair, then. I’ve got a date with Gokuhara, anyway!”

“Huh? You do?” Gonta asks, confused, but still stands up to follow Kokichi out of the dining hall when the leader skips out. Presumably to inquire about his meaning, but from what Shuichi knows of Gonta, he wouldn’t be surprised if the tall boy is going after Kokichi to check that he’s alright.

The thought leaves a bitter taste on the tip of Shuichi’s tongue and he slowly sits back down again, starting to reevaluate his original assertion. That being that he stands by what he just said.

“Thanks, bro.” Kaito’s voice, positive again, breaks into Shuichi’s subconscious, and the detective blinks a couple times, attempting to realise himself all over again. “It was a little harsh, but I guess you gotta be, with him, huh?” He chuckles, perhaps in an attempt to make Shuichi brighten up, and it works, but only slightly.

“Y-Yeah, I suppose,” he mutters, yet is unable to shake the feeling that Kaito is only saying it for his sake. Still, the conversation segues, and he forces himself to focus on it, because dwelling on what just happened would only make him feel worse.

This is a successful endeavour for Shuichi for a couple hours. Maki grabs his attention right after breakfast asking if he can help her fix something in her lab- it’s Sunday, and there’s no class today, so Shuichi agrees, and it’s quiet, focused work that he enjoys a lot. About an hour later he’s done with it and Kaito is there again, talking to him in that loud, confident way he does- and then it’s Kaede at his side, asking him to practice their duet on the piano, and an hour and a half later, with his fingers thoroughly sore from intense practice, Shuichi is alone in his room, staring up at the ceiling.

_ “Have you ever considered that this kind of behaviour is why nobody likes you?” _

From his fragile understanding of his own temper, Shuichi knows that those kinds of things aren’t exactly unheard of, from him. At the very least, he’s been known to say such severe things whenever he loses his patience. It’s something that he’s not very comfortable with, because he knows that it’s a pretty terrible quality, and he’d like to consider himself a mild mannered person, but he can go off. And he doesn’t have much self control when he’s like that, either.

Is that a good explanation for why those words came out of his mouth? Kokichi is annoying, sure, but perhaps not deserving of something so strong? Besides, he definitely can’t read the supreme leader very well, but wasn’t he a little bit sad when he turned around and skipped away? There’s no way for Shuichi to ascertain (after  _ that  _ display, he’s not about to go and ask) but still, he has his suspicions…

Things like that can really pick at a person’s insecurities. Does Kokichi even have insecurities? Well, maybe, but even so, Shuichi figures that’s probably a pretty rotten thing to say, isn’t it? He should apologise… because it’s not likely that Kokichi would, so maybe he’d better be the bigger person, right?

It’s with that in mind that Shuichi drags out his student handbook, flips through the different sections of the map until he spots Kokichi’s icon. The leader is in the basement, maybe walking away from the library, and it’s not too far a trip, so Shuichi tucks his handbook into the waistband of his pants and grabs his hat, flicking off the light in his room and slipping out into the courtyard.

Upon arriving at the head of the stairs, he almost collides with the person he’s coming to apologise to, but he stops himself with a hand on the railing and a sheepish smile at the leader. Surprisingly, Kokichi doesn’t reciprocate, just blinks lethargically in his direction. Even that action, however, feels artificial, and Shuichi suppresses the urge to press his lips together.

“Ah, Ouma, I’m sorry- I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Shuichi apologises, then curses himself for the habit; he’s here to apologise about something else, he shouldn’t get distracted. Still, though, it’s common courtesy, so perhaps it’s excusable. Besides, under the circumstances, he can make a couple allowances. Kokichi raises a lazy eyebrow, and it occurs to the detective that he’s probably just putting on another one of those annoying masks. (It’s possible that he’s acting this way because of what Shuichi said earlier, but it’s probably best not to jump to conclusions.)

“No problem!” And just like that the supreme leader has changed face yet again. A sunny smile brightens his disposition and he breezes past Shuichi, heading down the hallway in the direction of the dining hall. “I’ve got a playdate planned with Keeboy in a minute here, so I’ve got to-”

“Hold on.” Shuichi catches Kokichi’s arm and bites the inside of his cheek at the way Kokichi tenses underneath his fingertips. It’s odd how the leader is so frail, despite the persona he displays. “I- wanted to apologise for what I said this morning.”

“What?” Kokichi turns around, frowning.

“I-It was uncalled for,” Shuichi elaborates, feeling his resolve crumble at the blank confusion on Kokichi’s face. “I mean, of course I was frustrated, and I don’t like that you’re always picking fights with Kaito- really, I wish that would stop- but I still shouldn’t have said something so-”

All of a sudden, Kokichi rips his arm out of Shuichi’s hand. “Thanks for the apology, Saihara!” He chirps, smiling. His features are perfectly composed but there’s a mechanical quality to it; his hand shakes slightly when he adjusts his scarf. “But I’m definitely going to be late, so-”

“Hey, wait.” Shuichi swallows down another flare of anger because he knows that never leads anywhere good. “I’m not finished, I-”

“What? What?” Kokichi tilts his head to the side. “What else did you want to say? More excuses?”

“Excuses?” Shuichi sputters. “I was  _ apologising  _ to you, Ouma-”

“Yeah, okay.” Kokichi rolls his eyes, laughing slightly. “Apologising because you wanted to feel less bad about it, right? So later, when this inevitably goes terribly and you have one of those gross self-hatred spiral things, you can say,  _ well, at least I tried! Not my fault Kokichi is so difficult!  _ Or, what is it you said? Always disturbing the peace?” He scoffs, but that infuriating smile remains.

“What?” Admittedly, the mention of his ‘self-hatred spirals’ puts him off, a little, because he doesn’t talk about them, and he doesn’t expect Kokichi to be perceptive to those things. But more present than his surprise is anger, and indignation. Because as much as Kokichi’s words hold an unfamiliar ring of truth, Shuichi hates that the leader is telling him how he feels. How dare Kokichi insinuate that he’d only apologise to spare his own feelings? Does he really think Shuichi is that type of person? “No, wait. Ouma.” He takes a breath in a meager attempt to compose himself before he says another one of those scathing things. “I didn’t mean-”

“What did you mean, then? Are you seriously telling me you came to apologise on behalf of my feelings?” At that, Kokichi laughs out loud, turns around and starts walking away. “Forget it, Saihara, I’m-”

“You can’t expect me to keep trying to get to know you!” Shuichi hears himself snapping, kind of hates himself for it. “When you constantly shove people away, and lie- it has an effect, you know, and I don’t think it’s unjustified to feel uncomfortable trying to get close to you.” At that, Kokichi stops walking, turns his head slightly, but Shuichi plows on. “I-I  _ did  _ feel bad. I  _ do.  _ What I said to you was awful, I shouldn’t have said it, but you can’t deny that you had a lot of fault in what just happened. You can’t. Momota doesn’t deserve to put up with that ceaseless mockery every day. And I was trying to be the bigger person and just apologise, so that we can try to talk it over, but here you go again, shutting yourself off.”

The last word falls from Shuichi’s mouth and he feels empty, for a moment, the air stagnating around them. It smells foul, sour, like something just died. His heart beats slow in his chest, but speeds up when Kokichi turns his head again so that his back is entirely to Shuichi. The detective watches, biting his lip, as Kokichi wipes at his eyes with his sleeve.

Is he-

“You know,” Kokichi’s voice is faint. “Sometimes, I think maybe I could- maybe I  _ could  _ reach out to someone at this school.” Shuichi feels his breath hitch, but holds it, feeling like he’s going to pass out. “But then you-” he breaks off, then flips around suddenly, and all traces of the previous emotion are gone from his face, save for a wide grin. His eyes are swimming with mirth. It’s a masterful deception, one that must have taken years to pull off, one that Shuichi wouldn’t be able to see through in a heartbeat.

But he does, anyway.

“It’s a lie!” Kokichi laughs, shaking his head. “Geez, Saihara, you’re so gullible sometimes… I can’t believe how worked up you get over tiny arguments! You think people don’t say those things to me all the time? You hear a lot worse when you’re being confronted by someone whose family you killed! And when you’re in  _ my  _ position, that happens a lot.” He has a mischievous glimmer in his eye, and his mask is perfect, but- Shuichi can see them, the cracks in it, and he’s wondering if they’re starting to show, or if they’ve always been there. “I really do have to go play with Keeboy now, otherwise I’d hang around! This was fun, though, we should do it again sometime!”

Just like that, Kokichi turns on his heel and runs down the hall, disappears into the dining room. Shuichi doesn’t stop him this time. He just stands there, wide eyed, attempting to process what exactly just happened.

It’s in that state, now sitting against the wall and staring at the ceiling, that Kirumi eventually finds him, a broom in hand. When she sees him, though, she doesn’t say anything. She just gently puts the broom to the side and sits down across from him, fluffing her skirt when she relaxes on the floor.

Shuichi looks at her, wondering what exactly she’s doing, but she avoids his eyes, and so he just looks away too, deciding that this isn’t so bad, really. They sit there for around half an hour, or maybe longer, but Shuichi’s watch is broken and he doesn’t care to fix it, before Kirumi finally speaks, her tone even.

“I believe there are a number of our classmates downstairs in the gameroom, if you’d like to join them.” She offers, and Shuichi looks over, meets her green eyes. Without prompting, she continues, “It was Momota, Akamatsu, Harukawa, Iruma, and Kiibo, if I recall correctly. There may be more or less people now.”

“Uhm…” Shuichi considers it. Miu is abrasive, and speaking to her at the moment may not be his favourite thing, but the prospect of spending time with Kaito, Maki, and Kaede  _ does  _ sound appealing to him right now. Not thinking about the crushing guilt in the pit of his stomach is tempting as well. Besides, he worries that if he continues to sit here, Kirumi will remain, and he doesn’t really want to distract her from her self-imposed responsibilities. So he closes his eyes and nods. “I think I will, thank you, Toujo.”

With a small smile, Kirumi rises to her feet, offering Shuichi a hand up. He accepts, and her leather glove is soft beneath his fingertips. She’s strong, which is unsurprising considering that it’s Kirumi, and he feels secure when he is standing again, rather than unsteady, like when Kokichi walked away before. To the extent that he’s hesitant to let go again, when he’s on his feet. She seems to sense his reluctance and pauses, waiting for him to do so first, which he appreciates more than he feels the ability to express. Eventually, though, he does release her hand, and take a step back, fussing with his hat.

“Thank you,” he mumbles, and he hears Kirumi hum. When he looks up at her, she has her eyes closed, as though she’s thinking.

“I’ll join you.” She eventually decides, with a nod to herself.

“Huh? But… I wouldn’t want to distract from your…” Shuichi pauses, biting his lip.

“No, it’s alright. Consider this my putting in a little effort to fulfill Akamatsu’s request that I take some time off for myself once in a while.” She brushes off her skirt again and lifts her broom from its place on the wall. “Is that alright with you? I’d hate to impose.”

“Ah, y-yes, I’d-” Shuichi wonders how to formulate sentences in a way that wouldn’t be too painfully awkward. “I’d appreciate… your company, and I’m sure everyone else would too.”

There isn’t much else left to be said, so after what is, in Shuici’s opinion, a rather awkward pause, they make their way down to the basement and across the hall to the gameroom. When he opens the door and steps inside, he finds, thankfully, that they don’t all fall silent when he enters (that’s pretty much the worst case scenario for him) but when Kaito looks over, his grin falters slightly.

“Bro, you look like shit!” He calls out, and Shuichi pulls his hat over his eyes, embarrassed. Everyone Kirumi said was here is here- Kaede, Maki, Kiibo, Miu, and Kiibo. Also, he could be wrong, but he thinks he sees Himiko sleeping in the corner of the room. They’re all occupied doing different things, but Kaito is standing nearest to the door, presumably having been harassing Maki about something or other before Shuichi and Kirumi arrived. At least, that’s what he assumes, based on the fond exasperation still lingering in Maki’s red eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Shuichi apologises, even though it’s a pretty dumb thing to apologise for, and presses his lips together, stepping inside fully. Kirumi closes the door behind them.

“What happened?” Kaede must have been talking to Miu and Kiibo, because they’re all sitting together, but after Kaito’s observation, they’re quiet, now, which is uncomfortable. Her blonde hair slips from her shoulder when she tilts her head to the side, a frown adorning her pretty features. “Are you okay?”

“Nothing important,” he finds himself mumbling, even though the ghost of Kokichi’s words is still echoing in his ears. “I just… had a conversation with Ouma, and it’s still upsetting me.”

“You shouldn’t let him get to you.” Maki rubs her temple. “He’s childish and manipulative. Does those things for attention. There were kids like that at the orphanage.”

And it’s true. At least, Shuichi agrees. But even so, he can’t help thinking… “I just… can’t get over what I said this morning.” He looks away, at the exit, hating how quiet the room is, how everyone else is listening to what he’s saying. “It was cruel.”

“It was.” Kiibo agrees, and Shuichi startles, looking over at him. “What? It was an awful thing to say, that nobody likes him. And it’s not true, anyway. Ouma is annoying, but he’s my friend, and I would never want him to think I hate him.” He shakes his head, and in the silence, Shuichi is about to process his words, but then Miu is speaking.

“Yeah, I mean, the fucker is obnoxious.” She shrugs, tossing her head back. “But don’t speak for us, you little twink! I mean, I’m glad you’re getting a little backbone, but being a jackass isn’t going to make you less of a bottom. Now you’re just a piece of shit.” Shuichi winces at her words, swallows hard, because as scathing as she is, he can’t help agreeing with her. That assessment is accurate even without his attempted apology. Considering what he said to Kokichi after that, and the way Kokichi responded, he-

Kaede huffs. “Iruma, stop it, you know that’s not true.” The inventor squeals in response to Kaede’s firm tone. “You lost your temper, Shuichi, that doesn’t make you a horrible person. I want to snap at him all the time too.”

“You don’t, though,” the detective notes bitterly.

“That’s because I talk to people a lot more!” Kaede points out, and smiles a little, but it’s a sad smile. “You said a mean thing to him, yeah- just apologise, you know? Work it out! I’m sure he’ll listen if you do.”

“...I did.” Shuichi admits finally, looking down at the floor. “I mean, I tried to apologise to him, but he told me I was only apologising to clear my conscience, not because I actually cared about how he felt.”

“Well,” it is Kaito who says this, looking at him in an oddly inquisitive manner. “Were you?” And that question is so startling, Shuichi finds himself pausing.  _ Was  _ he apologising because he cares about Kokichi, or to spare his own feelings? Thinking about it, he… isn’t quite sure. But if he’s not certain that he did it because he cares about Kokichi, then isn’t that pretty reprehensible on its own?

_ Does  _ he care about Kokichi? That question, though he only asked it of himself, is jarring in its own right, and he swallows hard, considering it. Does he care about how Kokichi feels? After a moment, his gut tells him that yes, of course he does- Kokichi is his friend, even though he’s really annoying and childish, and no matter how frustrating he can be, he doesn’t hate the guy. In fact, Shuichi is sure that he… is rather fond of him.  _ Yes,  _ he thinks, recalling the twist in his gut when he saw Kokichi wipe away those tears. He cares. He cares a lot.

Then, why didn’t he apologise for that reason?

“Saihara,” Kaede puts a hand on his shoulder, and she’s a lot closer than she was a moment ago. “You with us?”

“Yeah,” he answers, but his throat is dry, and he swallows hard in an attempt to clear it. “Uhm-” he breaks off, attempting to gather his thoughts. “I- I suppose- I was only apologising to spare my feelings, not his.” Shuichi finally decides, looking over at Kaito. “But- how do I amend it? What I said to him… only made things worse, didn’t it?”

“Mm, there’s no way to truly answer that without knowing what you said.” Kirumi’s voice speaks up from behind him, and there’s another hand on his lower back now, her familiar comfort rematerialising at his side. “But Ouma is smart, isn’t he? He knows the type of person you are. He knows that you’ll consider what he said. Give him some space, would be my suggestion, and when you feel better, apologise again. For real, this time.”

And Shuichi’s not sure that she’s right, but Kaito and Kaede are both nodding, like they agree, and Kiibo gives a thumbs up too, so eventually he murmurs, “Alright,” and a smile is coaxed out of him when Kaito claps him on the shoulder and Kaede takes his hand, squeezing it like she’s proud of him.

The rest of the evening is spent on trivialities- at one point, Himiko wakes up, and she and Miu have a lengthy debate about D&D classes (which Shuichi hadn’t even realised they were familiar with) and they have a grand old time, really. Shuichi decides to just let the thoughts settle, and he’s not really at ease, but by the time he, Maki, and Kaito finish training that night and he hits his pillow, he’s too exhausted to think about it, anyway, and it feels better than worrying about it.

Six in the morning comes quicker than he’d like, but he feels alright, strangely, when he wakes up. For a moment he’s certain that dread will just settle back in again, but then he closes his eyes, thinks of what his friends said to him yesterday, and he finds himself feeling a little bit okay with it. Obviously, it’s not okay in the slightest, that he was so mean to Kokichi, but- but he has a better handle on the situation, he thinks. At the very least, he’s going to apologise again, and let the supreme leader know that he cares.

His handbook tells him Kokichi is still in his room, so Shuichi speeds through brushing his teeth and getting dressed in favour of slipping out of his room and a few doors down to Kokichi’s. It takes him a few long moment to talk himself into it, but eventually he reaches up and rings the bell, swallowing down the anxiety in his throat.

A few moments pass, then the door swings open, and Kokichi is grinning at him on the other side. His expression shifts slightly when they make eye contact, but it’s back quicker than Shuichi can decipher it.

“Ohh, Saihara, what a pleasant morning surprise! Here to praise my looks? Well, praise away, but maybe do it from outside, because I’ve actually got to finish masturbating on my Amami body pillow so I can greet the day in my usual way, so if you don’t mind-” he moves to shut the door in Shuichi’s face, but the detective is expecting it, and he catches it before Kokichi can close it all the way.

Strangely, the other boy doesn’t keep pushing. He just pauses, brows knitting together, and it occurs to Shuichi that maybe Kokichi doesn’t want to hurt his fingers. That in mind, the detective clears his throat. “You don’t have to talk to me after what I said yesterday, I just wanted to-” he breaks off, not sure how to continue. “-apologise. Again. Uhm, I don’t think explaining really does anything, so, just- I’m sorry.” He doesn’t know what else to say, so he lets go of the door and steps back, brushing off his hands on his pants. Stupidly, in his rush out the door, he forgot to grab his hat. There’s nowhere for him to hide, right now, and Kokichi’s gaze is scrutinising. “Uhm, I’m going to-”   
  


“Wait.” The single word isn’t much but Shuichi hears a lot more in it; he turns, brows raised. Kokichi’s expression is excruciatingly impassive, but the detective heeds his request, because there’s not much else he can do. Then, quietly, “I’m sorry, too. That I can’t really trust people. It’s not that easy for me, but I’m trying.” He huffs, looking strangely vulnerable, and Shuichi’s heart stutters. “I didn’t know it upset you.”

Ah… “Ouma, I-”

“Nishishi, it’s a lie!” Kokichi snaps out of it, grinning and slipping out of his room. On light feet, he saunters up to Shuichi until he’s leaning in his face, a wide smile spread across his features. “I really actually trust everybody, y’know? I am, in fact, the most trusting person in our class!” A pause, then, “Except Gokuhara, he’s kinda unbeatable.”   
  


“Is that so?” Shuichi raises an eyebrow, but he can’t help smiling a little bit, despite the close proximity. Kokichi’s movements are totally uninhibited, and he’s still wearing that damn mask, but the detective is certain it came down a moment ago. It’ll always come back up, Shuichi is certain, but… still, Kokichi let him see under it for a moment. And maybe that’s what’s important.

“Hey, walk me to breakfast, hm? I wanna tell you about the exciting adventure Shinguji and I went on last night!” Kokichi slips his arm through Shuichi’s, pulls his door shut behind him. “There’s lies, sex, and money, so basically your favourite things, seeing as you’re a detective and all!”

Shuichi finds himself laughing, allows Kokichi to drag him out from the dorms. Later he’ll question why the leader was up so early, anyway, and if that apology would’ve happened whether he initiated it or not- but for the moment, he focuses on this odd camaraderie, because it’s so much nicer than anything he’s ever had before with Kokichi, and he kind of wants to have a little bit more of it.

**Author's Note:**

> I find it interesting that Shuichi is always characterised as such a bean when he's clearly got a lot of anger that he hasn't really dealt with. at the end of chapter four, for example, he chose to lash out at Kokichi (perhaps a bit more deserved there) rather than be by Kaito's side when he was needed the most.
> 
> it's my least favourite aspect of his character but he's one of my best kids so I gotta explore it at least a little bit. his tendency to say really awful things when he loses his shit... I'm just saying, it's a very exploitable character flaw.
> 
> but anyone who'd portray Kaito as a jackass who hates everything related to Kokichi is a dumbass and really has another thing coming. Kaito is a good dude. he wouldn't be mean to Kokichi just for the sake of it. I think he just wishes Kokichi would stop jerking everyone around.
> 
> and wow he's trying.
> 
> anyway;;; little heavier than usual, sorry. I wanted to write this because I like exploring this stuff and Kokichi is just so interesting... I'll get out an update for my other stories soon <3
> 
> love y'all, comments are great, hope you enjoyed.


End file.
